Defending A Brother
by Depressed Chibi
Summary: After picking Lloyd up from school, Zane and Kai run into three of Lloyd's bullies. [AU]


Kai stood outside the courtyard of the school. He leaned heavily against the brick pillar that connected to the metal gates. The impatient teen checked his watch for the umpteenth time and gave a frustrated groan; the school should have been let out already.

"Kai, what are you doing here?"

Kai took his gaze off the building and settled on the owner of the voice. Kai's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he looked at Zane, a teammate from his Ninjutsu class. "I'm waiting for Lloyd, what are you doing here?"

"Sensei has also sent me to pick up Lloyd," Zane explained, appearing equally confused.

"Wha – I told him I'd do it! Why doesn't anyone listen to me?" Kai growled, throwing his hands into the air. The teen had over heard Sensei Wu talking about how he wouldn't be able to pick up his nephew. Kai had been reluctant at first, but later agreed to get the kid.

Zane gave a halfhearted smile and shrugged. "Perhaps he forgot," Zane said, knowing that their martial arts instructor had been getting up in age. Kai gave a nod of agreement.

The two stood in awkward silence. Kai wanted to tell the blonde that he could leave, but decided against it. Lloyd liked Zane anyway. Absentmindedly, Kai reached into his red hoodie and pulled out a carton of cigarettes. A quick strike of a match and Kai breathed in the toxic smoke.

"That's a bad habit," Zane said quietly, moving a few steps to Kai's left, the opposite way the wind was blowing.

Kai rolled his eyes and took a breath of smoke before arguing, "Look, I work out, I train in martial arts, I eat right – if I want to smoke, I'm going to smoke."

Zane frowned at his teammate, but made no further complaint.

Finally, the sound of kids shouting and laughing appeared. The two teens watched as a flood of young children rushed out the school doors and into the court yard. The teens kept an eye out for Lloyd, but the kids were moving too fast to get a clear view.

"Kai, Zane," a cheerful voice called. Said teens looked over the crowed and saw their Sensei's nephew. Lloyd had a wide smile on his face as he ran to them. The child threw his arms open and pounced onto Zane in a tackle hug. Zane smiled and laughed as he returned Lloyd's hug.

"What do I look like over here, dead meat?" Kai asked, holding an expression of mock hurt.

Lloyd quit his nuzzling into the soft fabric of his friend's shirt to look at Kai. With a dead-serious scowl the child said, "You'll get a hug once you stop trying to kill yourself."

Kai's mouth dropped open. He wanted to argue back, but what good was it to yell at a kid? Kai dropped the cigarette in his hand and stomped it into the concert. Kai held out his arms and stared at the blonde child.

"Kai," Lloyd exclaimed as if the teen had just arrived. Lloyd dropped his grip on Zane before launching himself at the brunette. Kai grinned and swung Lloyd around in a hug. Kai loved the kid. Everyone at the dojo did. However, the two teens had grown especially attached to Lloyd. The bright eyed child came from a very broken home, much like Kai and Zane.

Both boys laughed as Kai put the child back down. "Shall we?" Kai asked, waving arm in the direction of the dojo. The three began their walk to the martial arts class.

* * *

The clatter of people's daily chores bombarded the boys as they walked through the main streets of Ninjago city. People shouted at one another while others held cheerful conversations. The streets were lively with citizens going about their routines.

Zane watched the bypasses with a small interest, he enjoyed people watching. He had been so intent on watching the people that passed by the teen didn't notice upcoming trouble.

"Hey, it's that squirt,"

Zane and Kai turned their attention to a small group of young men in front of them. Three boys, they couldn't be older than sixteen. The leader of the group had scowl that told them they were less than wanted there.

"Excuse me?" Kai asked, confused. When the group didn't comment Kai looked to Lloyd. The child was staring down at his shoes as if they were the most interesting things in the world. Kai's mind connected everything: they were bullies. Lloyd's bullies.

"You want to take this somewhere else pal?" Kai asked, cracking his knuckles. Lloyd looked at the teen, eyes wide and jaw slacked.

"Kai, please don't," Lloyd whispered, knowing it would only make the teens pick on him more.

"Listen to the baby, it's three against one," the leader crackled.

"Lets just ignore them," Zane said, grabbing Kai's forearm firmly. The teen didn't like the fact that these people picked on Lloyd either, but violence wouldn't solve violence.

"Yeah, listen to your _boyfriend_," one of the lackeys jeered.

Kai gritted his teeth in anger, but stayed silent. He looked at his teammate and young friend, both seemed to be begging to keep peace. Kai sighed, "You got lucky this time."

The leader scoffed and began to walk forward. He pushed himself between Lloyd and Kai, never once breaking eye contact with the fiery teen. The two goon pushed between Lloyd and Zane, shoving the other teen hard. Kai, Zane, and Lloyd turned their backs on the bullies, ready to put it past them, but the leader decided to give one last jab. "Freaks, it's no wonder the kid's parents abandoned him,"

Kai saw red. "Bastard," he growled, whipping his body around and lunging at the leader. Kai pulled back his fist and launched it at the leader's face. There was a sickening _crunch _that Kai felt run through his body. Immediately he knew that he had broken a few of his own bones. But it was more than worth it. To watch the other's eyes widen in shock and tears of pain prickled at the corners. Warm blood spattered onto Kai's hoodie and across his cheek. None of that mattered.

The leader fell backwards onto the concert, skidding slightly.

"Kai," Zane warned. Kai looked over his shoulder, intending to snap at the teen. How could he just stand there when Lloyd was just so badly insulted. Kai's words caught in his throat, though. He was frozen in shock as he watched well-tempered Zane spring forward.

"I wanted to do that," Zane commented, before stepping through a couple of motions to bring himself closer to one of the goons. "But you'll do," he hissed, grabbing the punk by his collar and bringing the male's face down onto his knee.

Kai's jaw dropped open, but soon a smile was on his lips. He looked at the last male who still stood and tossed his teammate a look of curiosity.

Zane looked at the guy before his shifted his gaze back to Kai. He nodded. Kai and Zane both reeled back their fist and rushed at the last goon. Kai raised his aim for the guy's jaw while Zane aimed for the gut. The punk gave a wheezing cough before he was thrown back atop of his leader.

Two knocked out, one crippled with pain.

"Don't you ever go near my brother again," Kai warned, towering above the one writhing teen. The kid nodded and Kai felt it was his cue to leave. He patted Zane on the shoulder and both turned to see Lloyd staring at them. Lloyd's eyes wide in awe.

"_That...was...awesome,_" Lloyd cheered, bouncing up and down in excitement. "You guys were so cool! You should have seen yourself, all _'kapow'_ and _'wa-pa'_,_"_

"Wa-pa?" Zane repeated, raising a single eyebrow at the child.

"I think that means great," Kai said with a cocky smirk. He watched Lloyd continue to try to reenact the moves he had just seen with amusement. The kid looked like he had just seen one of his comic superheroes. The smiles and laughter lasted only a short moment as the sound of police sirens became clear. "Shit! Come on, we gotta go," Kai said, throwing Lloyd over his shoulder and running in the opposite direction that the police were coming.

Without any argument Zane followed at Kai's heels.


End file.
